​The Build Haiti Foundation and the Columbia Association have been working to realize a sister city relationship between Cap-Haitian, Haiti and Columbia, MD. This is an idea that started a little bit over two years ago as part of the grand vision to continually expanding on the legacy of James Rouse, the great visionary, who saw the value that diversity brings into communities.

The first meeting was held on December 13, 2014 where 29 members of the Howard County community came together to give life to this worthy initiative. In keeping with the vision of the Columbia Association to “make Columbia the community of choice today and for generation to come”, the room was buzzing with great ideas from the committee members brainstorming session. They took turn to offer great suggestions and feedbacks on the ideas being presented. Members of the committee are eager to be engaged and make a difference. At the committee’s second meeting which took place on January 13, 2015, an election was held to elect a board chair, two co-chairs and a secretary. Jean-Robert Anantua, the President and CEO of the Build Haiti Foundation, was nominated and elected by his peers to serve as chairman. Likewise, David Weeks and Alex Lilavois will serve as cochairs while Ms. Carly Cline will serve as secretary. Laura Smit, a Columbia Association staff, has been doing a fantastic job coordinating the program. The committee looks forward to working with each and every single one of its members. Mr. Anantua extended a warm welcome to Mrs. Liz Bobo, the Maryland State Delegate and former Howard County Executive, now member of the sister city committee. He also acknowledged her for her thirty three years of service to the State of Maryland. Seven workgroups have been created to effectively move the agenda forward and keep members engaged and they are the following:

Government, Politics & DemographicsCulture, History, The Arts, ArchitectureEducationCivic Organizations, NGOs and Religious GroupsBusiness, Communication & TechnologyHealth & SanitationNatural ResourcesAs part of the process of establishing a sister city relationship between two cities, the group will continue to meet on a monthly basis to prepare for a potential presentation in September to the Columbia Association board. We are still looking for additional Columbia residents to join this effort. So, if you live in Columbia, please feel free to send your inquiry to Laura Smit at Laura.smit@columbiaassociation.org. You may also view the press release by following this link:http://www.columbiaassociation.com/Home/Components/News/News/622/17